The Fighting Shepherdess Part 26

Teeters hesitated; then, for the first time in his life he gave his hand to a sheepherder, and, at parting, as further evidence that the caste line was down between them, said heartily:

"Come over next Sunday and eat with me; I got six or eight cackle-berries I been savin' fur somethin' special."

"Thanks. Aigs is my favor-ite fruit," Bowers replied appreciatively.

The next day Teeters went into the post office at Prouty with more letters than he had written in all his life together. The Major was at the window perspiring under the verbal attack of a highly incensed lady.

A deeply interested listener, Teeters gathered that the postmaster's faulty orthography was to blame for the contumely heaped upon him. In vain the Major protested his innocence of any malicious intent when, after hearing a rumor to the effect that the lady had died during an absence from Prouty, he wrote "diseased" upon a letter addressed to her, and returned it to the sender.

"I'm goin' to sue you for libel!" was her parting shot at him.

"Like as not she'll do it," said the Major, despondently, and added with bitterness, "I wisht I'd died before I got this post office! Teeters,"

he continued, impressively, "lemme tell you somethin': anybody can git a post office by writin' a postal card to Was.h.i.+ngton, but men have gone down to their graves tryin' to git rid of 'em. The only sure way is to heave 'em into the street and jump out o' the country between sundown and daylight.

"I've met fellers hidin' in the mountains that I used to think was fugitive murderers--they had all the earmarks--but now I know better; they was runnin' away from third-and fourth-cla.s.s post offices. If ever you're tempted, remember what I've told you. Anything I can do for you, Teeters?"

Teeters threw out his mail carelessly.

"Just weigh up them letters, will you?"

The name of the head of the Astor family caught the postmaster's eyes and he looked his astonishment.

"I'm expectin' him out next summer," Teeters said casually.

"You don't say?" with a mixture of respect and skepticism. "Visitin'?"

"Not exactly visitin'--he'll pay for stayin'. I'm tellin' you private that I'm goin' to wrangle dudes next season. I made him a good proposition and I think it'll ketch him."

"It would be a good ad. for the country," said the Major, thoughtfully.

"But wouldn't you be afraid he'd get lonesome out there with n.o.body pa.s.sin'?"

"I've thought over this consider'ble," Teeters lowered his voice, "and I figger that the secret of handlin' dudes is to keep 'em busy. I've been around 'em a whole lot, off an' on, over on the Yellastone, and I've noticed that the best way to get anythin' done is to tell 'em not to touch it and then go off and leave 'em. Of course an out-an'-out dude is a turrible nuisance, and dang'rous, but you got to charge enough to cover the damage he does tryin' to be wild and woolly."

He went on confidentially: "Between you and me, I've worked out a scale of prices for allowin' 'em to help me--so much for diggin' post holes and stretchin' wire, so much for s.h.i.+nglin' a roof or grubbin' sagebrush.

Only the very wealthy can afford to drive a wagon and spread fertilizer, or clean out the corral and cowshed, and it'll take a bank account to pitch alfalfa in hayin'. If they thought I wanted 'em to help, or needed 'em, they'd laugh at me."

"Dudes is peculiar," the Major admitted. "I never had much truck with 'em, but I knowed a feller in the Jackson Hole County that made quite a stake out of dudin'. They took him to Warm Springs afterward--he'd weakened his mind answerin' questions--but he left his family well pervided for. Teeters," earnestly, "why don't you put your money in somethin' substantial--stock in the Ditch Company, or Prouty real estate?"

Teeters shook his head.

"Without aimin' to toot my horn none, I got a notion I can wrangle dudes to a fare-ye-well. I'll give it a try-out, anyway. By the way, Major, have you seen Lingle? How's the case comin'?"

The Major's face changed instantly and he said with quite obvious sarcasm:

"He's busier than a man killin' rattlesnakes, and he's makin' himself unpopular, I can tell you, tryin' to stir up somethin'."

Teeters looked at him wonderingly but said nothing; instead, he went out in search of the deputy.

Lingle was sitting dejectedly on the edge of the sidewalk when Teeters found him, and the deputy returned his spicy greeting dispiritedly.

"You look bilious as a cat," said Teeters, eying him. "Why don't you take somethin'?"

"You bet I'm bilious--the world looks plumb ja'ndiced!" the deputy answered, with feeling.

"What's the matter?" Teeters sobered in sudden anxiety. "Ain't the case--"

A frown grew between the deputy's eyebrows.

"The case is gettin' nowhere. Things don't look right, and I can't exactly put my finger on it."

"What do you mean, Lingle?" quickly.

"I mean that people are actin' curious--them sports inside--" he jerked his thumb at the Boosters' Club behind him, "and the authorities."

"How do you mean--curious?"

"Don't show any interest--throw a wet blanket over everything as if they wanted to discourage me--I'm not sure that they're not tryin' to block me."

"But why would they?" Teeters looked incredulous.

Lingle shrugged a shoulder.

"I don't know yet, but I've got my own opinion."

"But you won't lay down," Teeters pleaded, "even if they pull against you?"

"Not to notice!" the deputy replied grimly.

CHAPTER XIII

MRS. TOOMEY'S FRIENDs.h.i.+P IS TESTED

Momentarily fl.u.s.tered, flattered, and not a little curious, Mrs. Toomey opened the door one afternoon and admitted Mrs. Abram Pantin, who announced vivaciously that she had run in informally for a few minutes and brought her shadow embroidery.

Since Mrs. Pantin never ran in informally anywhere, and she was wearing the sunburst and rings which Mrs. Toomey had noted were in evidence when she wished particularly to have her position appreciated, the hostess, while expressing her pleasure, sought for the real purpose of the visit.

Ostensibly admiring Mrs. Pantin's new coiffure, she thought, bridling, "Perhaps she's come to find out how we're managing since Mr. Pantin refused us."

Yet Mrs. Toomey had to acknowledge that this did not seem like her visitor, either, for ordinarily she was too self-centered to be very curious about others.

As the afternoon pa.s.sed and Mrs. Pantin twittered brightly on impersonal subjects, introducing topics which evidenced clearly that her mentality was of a higher order than that of the women about her, whose conversation consisted chiefly of gossip and trivial happenings, Mrs.

Toomey came to think that she was mistaken and that this friendly visit was a rare compliment.

While Mrs. Pantin's bejewelled and rather clawlike fingers flew in and out of the embroidery hoop as she plied her needle, and while Mrs.